Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy
965
LIFE OF CHRIST
15th cent. Vellum. Ca. 7 × 5. Ff. 113, recently numbered 1-79, 79-112 (=113). this foliation ignores the folios which are wanting at the beginning of the MS. and the lacunae and errors of sequence from fo. 108 on (see below): it has been emended by two later hands. A second foliation standing on the inferior margin of some ff. (see ff. 78, 79, 88, seqq.) apparently dates from a time when the leaves were bound in wrong order. The MS. is composed of two distinct volumes (Hodges and Smith Collection, nos. 142, 143, see ff. 1, 78). The original outer leaves of these volumes are defaced. Some of the initial leaves are defaced and injured, also ff. 43V, 44, 97, 98, 102, 107, 108, 109. Ff. 61, 85 are roughly mended by stitching. Scribe: Diarmuid O Conaill, who transcribed the MS. to fo. 77vº in 1461 (see colophon transcribed in full below). Both sections of MS. are the work of the same gifted scribe. The handwriting is beautifully legible throughout, except at the points indicated as damaged. The ruling, where visible is brown, but appears to have been partly by dry point (see ff. 76,77). Initial capitals are rubricated. The following marginal signatures, etc., occur on the MS.:- “Gelassy Dallye [his book?]” (fo. 33); “Sean do Roisde sealbudor an leabur so” (p. 49v). The date 1762 (very faint) has been altered here to 1662 by a later hand; “[Dach]ad ⁊ aon [dui]llóg déag [a]tá annsa [lea]bhar so thug [ ]ledhlimidh Mac Cartha [dom]” (fo. 51v). Indecipherable notes stand on ff. 52V, 62v. Bd. in half leather. Hodges and Smith Collection, nos. 142, 143. Former Academy no. 1/48.
The MS. 23 C 29 (763, supra) appears to be a copy of this MS. made before the leaves now missing at the beginning of the manuscript were lost.
(a) Hodges and Smith Collection, no. 142.
fo.
1 . Tomas Gruamdha Ó Bruacháin's translation of the Life of Christ. Acephalous; beg. here as doib sin is coir (=762, p. 6, 1. 8; 763, p. 1, 1. 4). Text properly begins (as in 762), [inter alia virtutum et laudum praeconia]. For a description of the text, see supra, 187, 1. According to the colophon occuring on fo.. 77 i., this Irish version of the Pseudo-Bonaventura, Meditationes Vitae Christi, is the work of Tomás Gruamdha Ó Bruacháin: “Tomas Gruamdha Ó Bruachain .i. Cananach corad a Cill Eala is e do chuir an leabhur so a nGaeighleilg ⁊ Domnall O Conaill do gabh ⁊ Diarmuid ó Conuill do sgribh annso hí ⁊ as andsa bliaghuin so do boined a cos do mac an Barruig Mhoir. Et tabradh gach aen leighfis an leabhur so a bendacht ⁊ a paider ar na hanmunnuibh so. Ando Domini MºCCCCºLºXºIº. Finit. Amen. Finit.” 763, p. 1 ff., is a copy of the present text, including at the end of the section beg. Is i so in timna do rinne ughdar na trocuire (5½ 11.).
(b) Hodges and Smith Collection, no. 143
78 . Life of the Virgin Mary. Beg. Incipit prologus de vita dulcisime. . . Is andso thindscainter prologus beathad Muire millsi. The text of the Life beg. (fo. 78v m.) In civitate David .i. do bi nech uasal i Nazareth .i. a cathraigh ⁊ a talmain Dáibid. The Life is arranged in three books. Ends (apparently imperfect) fo. 107v. 763 breaks off likewise at this point.
108 . Life of Mary. Fragment. Acephalous: beg. here da reir sin atamaid bocht daidhbir (=763, p. 218, 1. 16). The text is consecutive to fo. 109v (=763, p. 227, 1. 5, 3 B 22, p. 69b, 1. 22), fo. 110 (= 3 B 22, p. 61b i.) does not belong here, fo. 111 (=763, p. 210, 1. 2) is misplaced, and there is a lacuna before fo. 112, which begins at a point corresponding to 763, p. 230, 1. 24, 763 thus supplying a transcript of fo. 112v, which is now quite legible in our MS. Further more detailed examination of the text is necessary to establish the direct dependence of 763 on the present MS. in its original more complete state.